Goodyear hires new directors
Goodyear hired two new directors to join its leadership team, the city announced Monday.
The city also appointed its new city manager, Wynette Reed, on Monday, after outgoing City Manager Julie Karins announced her resignation to move to the Kansas City area to be closer to her children.
Wendy Bridges is the city’s new economic development director, having been the interim director since August.
The city’s previous economic development director, Lori Gary, resigned last year after allegations of bullying as well as a poor work performance.
Bridges has been working in county and municipal government for more than 25 years. Before coming to Goodyear in 2022, she served as business development manager for Avondale. She was also economic development director for Avondale for 13 years.
Bridges’ goals include bringing high-quality restaurants, retail and entertainment to the city, according to a news release by the city. She will also focus on bringing new industries and job opportunities to the city.
Bridges is president of the Arizona Association for Economic Development. She was honored as the 2018 economic developer of the year by the organization in 2018. She is licensed in real estate, holds a degree in management from Yavapai College and graduated with a degree in public administration from Northern Arizona University.
The city also hired a new water services director, which is a new position with the city. Barbara Chappell had her first day on the job Monday.
Chappell has been working in water management at the local government level for more than 20 years. She previously worked as Goodyear’s deputy public works director for seven years, before working at Tempe as the deputy municipal utilities director in the water department. She also previously worked in various roles in Avondale’s water department for 14 years, according to the Goodyear news re- lease.
The Goodyear Water Services Department includes water, wastewater, stormwater, environmental services and sustainability.
Chappell has a master’s degree in public administration and a bachelor’s degree in civil/environmental engineering from Arizona State University. She is a certified professional civil engineer and certified public manager. She also holds Grade 4 certificates in water treatment, water distribution, wastewater collections and wastewater treatment from the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality.